Reverse
by rain-before-me
Summary: When Konoha is crumbling and everyone Sakura holds dear is gone, Tsunade offers her a tantalizing A chance, to face her childhood again and rewrite history as she knows it. With all her knowledge and ANBU powers still intact, Sakura must make impossible choices and decisions as the weight of her village lies on her shoulders. "I will be his Orochimaru this time. "
1. once in a different lifetime

#1 – once in a different lifetime

* * *

"…_seriously, shishou?"_

"…_yeah."_

_A sip of sake._

* * *

Haruno Sakura watches silently, as destruction itself twists madly in the heart of Konoha, annihilating everything and anything in its path. She leans against the cold wood of the vast red gates marking Konoha's borders and her dark jade eyes narrows. She sees buildings collapse like a tower of cards and she hears the panicked sobs and terrified screams and she smells the sickening, metallic scent of blood she'd come to be so familiar with. She can feel the battle vibrating within her very _bones_.

She blinks.

And everything is silent.

* * *

_Sakura's jade eyes averts to the side. A bitter, short laugh escapes her. "Shishou, what if I don't succeed?" she softly counters. "What if…what if I lose everything again?"_

_Tsunade has never coddled her before, and seeing the stony countenance etched on her face, Sakura wishes that just this once, she would coddle her. But all she says is, "Sakura. Please." as she looks directly into her jade eyes void of light._

_And Sakura knows she will do it._

_Not only because of Tsunade, but also because of the dark, depthless onyx eyes that flashes behind her eyelids whenever she closes her eyes._

_Because of the sunny, delightful laugh that makes everybody smile that she hears whenever she looks at the sun._

_Because of the eye crinkle smile she remembers every time when she passes the bookstore on her way to work._

_Because of the way the word 'ugly' ghosts across her skin whenever she looks in the mirror, the familiar sensation of agitation running up her spine._

_Because, deep inside, she knows that only if she was a little, just a little stronger, maybe_, they would have survived_._

_Because, maybe, just maybe, it was _her fault.

_And she knows, knows she will do it, no matter the consequences._

* * *

She remembers resisting when she first felt the black tendrils coiling around her ankles, pulling her deeper, and deeper into the earth. "No! NO! I don't want this!" Her green eyes had searched desperately for her mentor and she had been devastated when she saw Tsunade rooted to the spot, her gold irises eyes wide and fearful for her apprentice. "TSUNADE-SHISHOU!" Sakura had screamed.

The last thing Sakura remembers before she was thrown into this world, where she had only been a shallow, helpless child, is the long blonde hair falling on to her face, a small warm drop of water and the whisper, "You won't be alone, Sakura. Just hang on tight."

_You won't be alone._

* * *

She opened her eyes, and the sight of porcelain white ceiling decorated prettily with countless glow-in-the-dark stickers welcomed her. Frozen on the spot, she turned her head slowly her head and glanced towards her bedside dresser. 4:37. Her heart beating wildly, she released a deep breath. The blankets that wrapped her were warm, and the pillows under her head fluffy.

She swung herself up and out of the bed, hazy sleepiness gone from her eyes, caution and disbelief speckling her green eyes instead. The wooden floor of her room was cold, and she winced as pain shot up her legs, tingling and spreading throughout her body. It was as if a foreign substance was trying to change itself to adjust to a different environment.

Sakura steadied herself, looking around the room with her mouth agape. _Time-travel_, she thought in awe. Everything was as she remembered. The ceiling her father had stuck stickers on because of her fear of the dark. The _Uchiha Sakura _scrawled neatly on her desk with hearts engraved above. She pursed her lips, approaching the window, and creaked it open, letting the early rays of dawn to spill in her room. She couldn't help but grin. _I made it, _she thought giddily.

Turning back, she reached towards her desk on the way to her dresser, pulling out a kunai from the weapons pouch that lay above. Gathering her thick hair in a ponytail, she slashed across the base of length. Her hair, now short again, cascaded down to the nape of her neck and she brought down her hand, gripping the long strands of pink. Looking down at it, she felt a pang of nostalgia. It pained her if she lived this world right, she would be the only one who remembered their _original_ genin days. Sighing, she threw the lump of hair into the bin.

There was a mirror right beside the bed, but she strode across it to her wardrobe without giving it a single glance. She didn't know what her hair looked like now, whether if it was neat, or if she cut it well, but she deemed it not important. _It's a new beginning_, she thought_. _The stage where she would have fussed endlessly about the condition of her hair was long gone. She looked down at herself. Funnily enough, she was in her old pajamas, complete with white bunnies decorating its sleeves. She briefly wondered where her battle gear that she had worn previously was.

She opened her bulging closet, and knowing what was hiding inside the wooden doors. Piles and piles of red, elegant dresses, with revealing slits up its sides. It was the epitome of girlishness. However, when she reached inside, she dug through the said dresses, flinging clothes away to collect in a mess in her room until she found what she wanted.

When she breezed out the front entrance door of her house, her pink hair was cut spikily, reaching the nape of her neck, and she was wearing a tight mesh shirt under a dark red vest and a loose, black dancer's pants.

* * *

She had paid a price for her ability to reverse. Tsunade-shishou had warned her that when the jutsu was performed, one of her dearest possessions would be taken away. At the time, she hadn't known what it was that would be, nor had she really cared. At the moment, nothing was more important than a second chance. After all, when the world as you knew it was crumbling and all your loved ones were long gone, you didn't care so much about your other belongings.

When she'd taken a few steps down her street, she turned and glanced back at her empty apartment, the wind pushing her hair into her mouth. The dawn was marking its way on the sky with light hues of orange, and the tall building seemed dark and ominous against the light. For a moment, she could see the images of a beautiful woman with long silvery hair and a middle-aged man with a warm smile before her, both of them waving their arms from the apartment entrance.

_Bye, Sakura-_

_Have a nice day-_

_Always be careful-_

_We're proud of you, dearie-_

She blinked, and shakes her head violently side to side when she felt the burn behind her eyes and her vision blurring with small drops of water.

_Remember, Sakura-_ She dashed down her street once again, and this time, heading towards the training grounds, she didn't look back.

_The price will be high – something you've never imagined living without._

* * *

When Sakura arrived at the training grounds, it was empty, as she had expected. She stood in the middle of the large circular field, tugging on her leather gloves and breathing deeply. Her body was already tingling from the anticipation of training. She took a deep breath, and prepared to exercise a short pattern of basic taijutsu.

_Remember, Sakura – as soon as you arrive, you must train your body again. You will still have your strength, all your chakra control – but your body will be weaker, smaller and less capable. Sometime, too much strength without the ability to endure will kill you._

_Alright, Tsunade-shishou_, Sakura thought_. Let's see how this body fares. _Punching and kicking at the air, the pink-haired girl frowned when she realized she would have to readjust her aim. Since her limbs were shorter and smaller than her older-self, she could not reach as far as she thought she could. She somersaulted in the air, whipping weapons out of her pouch and flinging them as hard as she could. Landing expertly on the ground, she grinned when she saw that all of them had hit their mark.

After about two hours of trying out all types of jutsu and getting used to her body, the sun was much further up the sky than it had been when she exited her apartment. She was yet to break a sweat. She scowled, realizing that she had to go to the Academy in a few hours. It was July 2nd, as she had noted from the calendar from her wall, and she remembered the fateful day to be day the team arrangements occurred. _One day_, she found the thought rather pressurizing, _One day until I have to fight with this body_.

Deciding to end her morning training for the day and get ready for the Academy, she lay down on the hard earth for one last burst of energy she wished to exert. Before she had come back to her past, her every minute of every hour was spent on the battlefield, healing injured people and injuring others herself. She had to fight for her life constantly, and the amount of chakra that was spending just in a day was impressively large. To be in a place were everything was calm, and she did not have to risk her life every second, she felt as though something was missing. This was _too much_ calm.

She laughed bitterly. _What am I thinking? Just a few hours back and I'm already growing ungrateful. Peace is a thing that you can never be _too_ thankful for. _Her face was uncomfortably warm from the sunlight, and still Sakura felt the unused clump of chakra throbbing temptingly in her body. Putting her arm up to shield her eyes from the sun, she grinned slightly.

Still lying down, she released a small burst of chakra evenly throughout her body, pushing her form into the ground. An earthquake rumbled the training grounds and the very soil shifted and moved, countless jagged cracks racing through the earth around her. Sakura stood up, and brushing the dirt away from her back, she looked down at her masterpiece, beaming.

She leapt up on to the trees, and sprinted at full speed towards her apartment.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke prided himself to be an early riser. He would wake up early, and visit the training grounds everyday for morning practice. That way, he could squeeze in a few hours of training before the Academy began, and he was able to shake off the ghosts that followed him every sunrise after a nightmare. He had always liked the peace, and the quiet, and enjoyed the silence that the fields provided him in the shelter of thick trees.

That was exactly why, when he approached the Training Grounds 3 and entered its boundaries expectantly, shock rushed into him as he found the state it was in. It was as if a large tremor had gone through, as numerous crevices decorated the brown surface with large bits of soil protruding unevenly. He frowned, wondering just who could have stopped by the place beforehand. He was a frequent visitor to the place, and he could account for a fact that for the long time he had been the first and the only person who trained here in the morning.

He slowly walked out to the center of the grounds, looking around in an almost-amazement. A crater was dug a few metres away, and his eyebrows rose in an amused curiosity when he noticed the shape. The crater was made in a shape of a person that couldn't have been older than him, judging by its stature. Resisting the urge to try and lie down in the fissure himself, he couldn't but wonder what had happened.

It was possible that someone had been slammed down on to the ground, although that would require great power from the thrower. Deducing that the person thrown had been a young person, their sparring partner couldn't have been much older. Examining the earth interestedly, the thin strand of hair didn't go missed by the last Uchiha. He picked up the strand by his thumb and forefinger, scowling.

It was pink.

_Pink…?_ The only person he knew that had pink hair was-

_No way._ He scoffed, throwing the hair away in the wind and erasing the image from his mind. Moving carefully around the crater, he sighed.

He would have limited space to train today.

* * *

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	2. a boy saw a girl

It hurt. She looked down almost fearfully at her thigh, tracing the area around it with her fingers. The mark was glowing crimson against the pale flesh, curvy black lines criss-crossing multiple times. Releasing a deep sigh, she ran a hand down her face. "_God_..." she whispered. "Who...?"

She leant against the cold, wooden wall behind her, stretching her legs out although her eyes still remained on the luminous rune. She stayed motionless for a few moments, seeming to think, before she hurriedly stood up, snatching the messenger bag from the bedside table. Slinging it over her shoulder, a frown marred her features as she dashed out the door. It seemed as though Konoha wasn't done with her yet.

* * *

Sakura stood in front of her large, body-length mirror; carefully wrapping bandages over her left upper arm, making sure that no black ink could be seen between the cracks. She had been named ANBU quite unceremoniously, she thought to herself. When there wasn't enough people with enough talent in the nation that required power, it seemed as though the higher-ups were trying to send as many people out in to the battlefield, giving all of them, even the unworthy, the responsibility of a higher-ranking ninja. She didn't know if she was truly deserving of the status, but it was a tattoo that would pose a threat to her identity in this world.

When she was done, she moved to work with her right upper arm so that it would not look unnatural. She wound it tight, making it seem like a second skin. She couldn't have it unravel during training. She tied her legs as well, and hopping and jogging on the spot to test them.

There was still about an hour and a half left until the Academy began, and Sakura decided to utilize the time by exploring the house. Her parents were not there, yet the glow-in-the-dark stickers were present. That meant that in this lifetime, she had not been born an orphan, but rather _made_ orphan. She was determined to find out the cause, although she knew ultimately that it was her fault for proceeding with the jutsu. The pang of guilt that struck her heart at the thought was impossible to ignore.

Pitter-pattering on the floor with her bare feet, she proceeded to walk further down the hallway, opposite from the entrance. The master bedroom in which her parents used to occupy was positioned at the corner of an L shaped corridor, and she pushed the door open with much anxiety.

She was pleasantly surprised to find the room extremely neat, with not a dust in place, as if it had been cleaned recently. Sakura knew her mother to be a neat person, but in actual honesty, she had expected the room to be trashed for some reason. Pictures of herself and her parents were hung on the walls, and she appeared to be not much younger than her age now.

_That means they weren't gone from too long ago_, she thought sadly. She opened the wardrobe, it being the closest furniture from the door, and saw that everything was in place. The closet was unnaturally big, and inside flanked all sorts of clothes suitable from summer to winter. On the left was her father's, while the right two thirds were her mothers. She closed it, feeling rather empty. The feeling of staring at something that belonged to someone that wasn't here anymore was horrible, she thought. _Is this how Sasuke spent his everyday at the Uchiha compound?_

She turned her sights to the bed and cautiously approaching her mother's bedside drawer, she pulled it open, examining its insides. No outstanding objects could be found, except a bright pink box that occupied further back of the drawer. She took it out, and sitting Indian-style on the bed, opened the lid. Her breath caught in her throat, and she gasped.

Inside was a single photo of her parents, her father wrapping his arms around her mother's shoulders while they smiled brilliantly. Her mother's hands were carefully placed on top of her rounded, protruding belly. Further down the picture, two small black sentences were scrawled along the bottom; one in a neat print while the other was in a messy cursive.

_Just a few more weeks until we get to see you!_

_We can't wait._

With much effort, Sakura breathed again.

* * *

Sasuke slid open the classroom door rather anticlimactically, a bored yet disgruntled frown settling on his features. Shuffling to his desk with his hands stuffed in his pockets, he wasn't surprised to see that he was the first one there. It was early, about 30 minutes until class began, and although he usually would have come much later; he couldn't help but be distracted from his training. In the end he had given up, deciding to leave for the Academy.

The image of the human-shaped crater did not leave his mind, and he sighed violently. He had tried to brush it off – perhaps a capable, higher-ranking ninja - who had to be outrageously short, he thought, but tried to push it to the back of his mind – had visited for training. However for some reason, he could not stop thinking about it, and the piece of hair that he had found at the scene was equally disturbing. Not to mention the horrible vision he had received – his mind flitted back to the incident once more.

_Sasuke stood again in front of the crater, grinding his teeth together in annoyance. Usually he would have no trouble ignoring these sorts of happenings, but for some godforsaken reason,_ this_ one, he could not turn a blind eye to. The size of the fissure was no bigger than someone his age, yet he knew that no other Academy student could have created this much damage. The small desire that he had tried to push down throbbed once again in his mind, and he cautiously swept his onyx gaze around for any passer-by._

_The training grounds were empty, and were dead silent save for the birds that chirped bright on the trees, unseen but heard. He released a deep breath. To do or not to do? He looked around one more time just for the sake of re-checking, and tutted irritably. He slowly kneeled down, placing his foot where the human-depression's feet were. He lay down, matching the appendages with the crater. He felt that the hole was slightly shorter than he was, and the back of his head lay on the end of the hollow. Feeling foolish at himself, he tried to stand, leaning on his elbows when his vision blurred. "What…?" he groaned. A burning sort of pain struck him right in his temples._

* * *

_**He stood on the forest floors, a wicked grin twisting his lips while he felt the dark spirals twining around his arms, legs, waist...**_**his whole body**_**. A purple glow enveloped him in an eerie fist, while he laughed out loud at the delightful sensation of power rushing through his veins. The flesh where his neck and shoulders joined throbbed, but he gave it no care – the feeling of pure strength running through his limbs were mind-blowing, numbing all the pain he may have felt. **_**This is it**_**, a voice in his head whispered tantalisingly. **_**This is the power you need to kill Itachi. With **_**this, you can achieve anything. **_

_**He smirked. He glared at the shinobi facing them angrily, a vicious satisfaction washing over him as he took in their shocked, fearful expressions. He wasn't sure what he was going to do to them, but- **_

"_**Sasuke-kun…?" A small whimper reached him from his left, and he turned with a malicious glint in his eyes. He took in the pink hair, green eyes, pale skin…Sakura, he surmised. A scowl twisted his complexion when he took in the dark colours that marred her porcelain skin, bruises and scratches everywhere on her body. Her one eye was rapidly darkening, turning a sickly shade of purple, while her luscious long hair was chopped into a short, messy bob.**_

_**He felt a spike of anger shooting into him, as the black commas of his red Sharingan spun dangerously. Incredible rage tapped into him as he stared down at the tattered form of his only female teammate, and he growled, "Who did that to you, Sakura?" Her mint green eyes widened, and he detected a sliver of terror enter her irises as she gazed into his own crimson eyes. **_

**I'm going to murder them, **_**he thought.**_** I'll break every single bone in their body, and rip their flesh away. I will cut their limbs off their bodies, and stomp on their pathetic faces. I will let the blood drain out of their body as they helplessly stare up at me, begging for life. I will-**

"_**SASUKE-KUN!"**_

_**The anguished scream tore though him.**_

* * *

Jerking out from his reverie, his gaze snapped to the classroom door when he heard soft footsteps approaching. He hissed and laid his hand to his aching temples, relishing in its coldness. He didn't know what that vision had been all about, but if there was one thing that he was sure about, it was that the girl who had helplessly gazed up at him was Sakura.

He remembered Sakura to be an annoying girl who never knew when to give up, and when not to disturb him. She was one of his fan girls, with excellent knowledge and intelligence although she lacked the physical skills to put them to use. Her bright pink hair was what made her stand out in the crowd. Other than that, she had neither special qualities nor talents. It was rather painful to think that she would become his teammate.

He frowned. How did he know the vision was necessarily going to come true, anyway? If it was so, then there were too many questions that arose in his mind. The surge of power that sizzled through his veins, the enemy nin that had stood surrounding them… It was all too complicated. He winced as another strong pang of pain echoed between his eyes. The horrible headache only seemed to get worse the more he thought about it.

Just as he decided to push the thought to the back of his mind, the wooden door slid open, and he watched as a girl walked through the doors. Only a few minutes had passed since he himself had arrived – there was still plenty of time before class. As soon as she strode in, her head snapped up to him, and instantly his eyes were locked with hers. Green, vibrant eyes. _Sakura_, he thought to himself. _Speak of the devil._

Sakura sighed tiredly. "Sasuke," she acknowledged with a small nod, and he resisted the urge to raise his eyebrows. No squealing or screaming? No jumping on him? He also noted the lack of the affectionate suffix attached to his name, and his eyes roved across her form cautiously. This sudden change in attitude was slightly unnerving, even to the Uchiha.

His eyebrows did quirk however, when he realized that her hair had been seared short into a spiky bob that cascaded around messily around her neck. She had also ditched her signature red dress, opting instead for more boyish, long black pants and a red vest. He couldn't help but think that she seemed strangely older, more mature.

She wordlessly approached his row of desks wordlessly and passed him, choosing to sit a few rows behind him. He heard the sound of a chair being pulled out, and ruffling of clothes as she sat. Silence ensued from then, and Sasuke found the quiet surprisingly uncomfortable. Anywhere, he had always the one to favour a calm atmosphere. Perhaps it was because of the eventful morning he had had, but he had to restrain himself from throwing a question, or a statement to Sakura.

Fortunately, she beat him to it. "Sasuke," she began almost carefully, as if she didn't want to anger him. This was new. Before Sakura would have babbled on enthusiastically regardless of if he was actually listening or not. "Why are you always so early?"

The cold statement 'It's none of your business.' was on the tip of his tongue, yet he squashed it down and replied instead with a short, "Training." As Sakura made an understanding noise, he asked back, "Why are you here so early?"

"Training, like you."

Now this certainly surprised Sasuke. He would have never thought that the pinkette trained separate of the Academy to increase her skills, although she severely required to. It was quite a shock to the raven-haired prodigy to think that the shallow, irritating fangirl would actually pay attention to something else other than appearance and him. The image of her hair at the training grounds flashed before his eyes.

Turning back on his seat and leaning his elbows on the back of his chair, he gazed at the pink-haired girl who was absenting twirling a kunai between her fingers – expertly, he noted – until she noticed his stare. She raised her head, and met his eyes with a level gaze, and he stared into the luminescent orbs. His lean eyebrows furrowed almost unnoticeably as he tried to probe into them.

He discovered that strangely, her eyes seemed…_dull_, as if there was a opaque barrier cast just before her pupils. _She doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve_, he noticed. _Impressive_. Her eyes, combined with the soft, round features of her face and petite stature, seemed out of place. It made her seem otherworldly, older and much more-

_What am I thinking, _he reprimanded himself. The trivial strand of hair and the strange vision was making him talk nonsense and deeply examine a girl he had always deemed unimportant. Sakura's stare was steady, unwavering and did not show any willingness to break their eye contact anytime soon. He hated to be the one to look away first, but he prepared to turn his back on her again. Perhaps he could just go for a walk, for the last few minutes.

Sakura took a deep breath, and he saw her mouth open as his hands clenched unconsciously on the chair when-

"Haruno-san!" The classroom door slammed open.

The pair's eyes snapped to the source of the alarmed shout, and Sakura's eyes widened when she seemed to recognise the man standing at the threshold. "Katou-san." She greeted. "What brings you here?"

Sasuke's dark eyes flitted back and forth from the pink-haired girl and the thin, rather shy looking-man, whose eyebrows were threatening to escape his receding hairline. It seemed as though that this so-called 'Katou-san' was on the verge of breaking into tears. Sakura's expression also began to lace with panic and alarm as the man hesitated before he spoke the dreaded words.

"Your parents…" he choked out. "Haruno-san, your parents…are _gone_."

* * *

A/N: Hm, it seemed a little bit like the pace was slowing down – I couldn't fit as much of the plot development as I had wanted.

For the people that looked forward to seeing the young and naïve Rookie 9 again- I apologise, but they _will_ make an appearance next chapter! I'm planning to put much in the next chapter – including Team 7 interactions and whatnot.

Thank you so much for the reviews! I loved reading each and one of them.

* * *

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	3. and she was entirely different

"Ka-Katou-san?" Sakura frowned, as a sense of hot panic began to race through her veins. She barely registered the sound of her chair clattering as it fell backwards to the ground. "What do you mean?" She asked, although at the very moment a realization was already dawning on her rapidly. _I don't know that my parents are dead._

"It-It was supposed to be just a ha-harmless trip..." he stammered. "But they were assulted on-on-" His eyes grew fearfully wide and he seemed not be able to say the words. Sakura felt a little sorry for the man. Being their landlord, Katou was close to the Harunos, and she knew for a fact that he was extremely weak-hearted.

Sakura swallowed, feeling a heavy lump in her throat. Although she knew that this was inevitable and to be expected, she couldn't help the cold misery that washed over her as reality slapped her in the face. Casting a quick glance at Sasuke, she saw that his onyx eyes were wide, and his fingers were trembling, even though he had clenched his fist in order to hide it. "Do you mean-" her own voice faltered as she spoke.

Katou nodded quickly, his eyes darting around the classroom as if he wanted nothing but to run away. "I'm so-sorry, Sakura - they've..."

"Died." Sasuke's lips mouthed the word at the same time Katou said it gravely. His eyes were fixated on the wall opposite him, no longer flitting back and forth between Sakura and Katou. His face held a blank expression, seeming as though he was in a different world.

Sakura didn't need to act for her expression to crumble, although instead of sadness a deep anger rose inside of her. It was all her fault that they had died, why hadn't she thought this through? Her eyes burned, but fisting her hands on her sides, she resisted the urge to cry. "I..."

"I got alerted by one of Hokage-sama's messengers..." Katou tried to put on a comforting expression, although his own legs were trembling. "He-he would like to see you at his office ri-"

Even before he had completed the sentence, Sakura dashed out of the room, rushing her way past Sasuke and Katou. She was gone in an instant, as she sprinted down the hallways of the Academy towards its exit. Her insides were muddled, so many feelings and thoughts rushed through her head that it hurt.

Anger that she was being impulsive. Self-loathing that she had been the one who ultimately killed her parents. Sadness at their absence, the fact that she couldn't see them anymore. Images of her parents, smiling, laughing, and arguing with each other flashed before her, and a hot tear splashed on to the floor as she ran.

But the thing that she hated the most, was that she wanted to kill the people that had murdered her parents. Annihilate, destroy, make them feel the same pain, sadness and fear that her parents must have felt. An uncontrollable desire for revenge bubbled up inside of her, although she knew that it was wrong.

She cried at the fact that now, she was truly the last Haruno.

At Class A, Katou slowly trudged off after Sakura, no doubt intending to go back to his home while Sasuke sat motionlessly. His pale skin had gone whiter, and his hold on the chair increased, splintering the wood.

Outside, a blond, pretty girl stood, leaning heavily on the wall with her hand over her mouth. Her baby blue eyes were large with terror, and her hands shook as she slid down. She gazed towards the direction Sakura had gone and mourned the loss that her ex-best friend had just acquired.

* * *

When Sakura knocked on the thick, imposing doors to the Hokage's office, she appeared calm and poised, although tear trails were still clear on her cheeks. She released a deep breath. It was a pity that the Sandaime would be here instead of Tsunade-shishou. Briefly, Sakura wished that her supporting mentor could have been here with her.

"Come in." A deep voice rumbled, and Sakura slowly opened the door. She bowed her head politely at the Hokage, and closed the door after her with a quiet 'click'.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was an old, but fair Hokage who had been reinstated to the position after the Yondaime's death. Numerous wrinkles marred his dark skin but he sat before her with incredible authority, radiating waves of power. His eyes were gentle, however, and he gazed upon her with a kind expression.

"Sandaime-sama," Sakura curtsied.

"Haruno Sakura-san, if I am right?" He asked, and seeing her nod in reply, he carried on gravely. "I am sure it must be of great shock for me to summon you so curtly...would I be correct to know that you are already aware of...?" He trailed off carefully, observing the pink-haired girl with sympathy and softness in his expression.

Sakura nodded, fighting off another wave of tears that threatened to spill over. _No_, she scolded herself. _No more crying._ "Hokage-sama..." Her voice was croaky as she addressed the Sandaime. "Who...who did it? Who...my parents...?"

Decades of experience had built up the wisdom in his eyes, and he looked at her with great sadness and pity although there was a splash of awe at her resistence to calamity. Sakura wanted to shout out when she saw his face - _don't feel sorry for me_ - she wished to scream. _I'm the one that killed them - I'm just cowardly asking for a way to make me feel better with the excuse of avenging them._

He ran a hand down his face rather exhaustedly. "I assume that I owe you at least a proper explanation... The accident occurred within our borders." He said with sincere regret. "We should have been more alert..." As he stared into her green eyes, Sakura felt an odd sensation as though he was looking right through her. "The nin that...ambushed your parents were from Sound."

Sakura felt as though her heart had dropped to the pit of her stomach as she heard those words. A bitter chuckle almost escaped her lips as the irony struck her. _So _this_ is how Sound becomes by enemy in this lifetime. _"And their status...?"

"Missing." The Sandaime shook his head sadly. "There were no traces of them found at the scene."

A hot burst of fury sizzled through her veins again, and she opened her mouth to speak when a loud, feminine shout echoed from the outside accompanied by rapid footsteps. "Hokage!" The voice imperiously demanded. The Sandaime's gaze snapped to the doors while Sakura slowly turned on her heel, staring in disbelief. _That voice-_

"Ma'am, Hokage-sama is not to be disturbed-"

The feeble protests of the guards standing outside the double doors reached their ears. "Well, this can't _wait_!" The doors burst open and Sakura shamelessly gaped as a tall, busty blonde walked in, eyes flaming and holding a green messenger bag. She strode towards the Sandaime's desk without casting even a glance at Sakura, and slammed her hands on the wooden surface.

"Tsunade," The Sandaime calmly acknowledged. "I thought you had said you cut ties with Leaf. Moreover, can you not see that I have an audience?"

"This- absolutely _cannot_ wait," she hissed. "A talk with a mere girl can be continued later."

The Hokage frowned. "You've become awfully rude, Tsunade."

Sakura stood frozen on her spot, her emerald eyes bulging as she stared at her mentor's back. "Tsu-Tsunade-shishou..." she whispered. Shock and utter disbelief filled her expression as she hurriedly thought back. _No...Tsunade-shishou only comes back to Konoha after the chuunin exams._

She turned her head at the mention of such title, and her amber eyes landed on Sakura carefully. "...shishou?" she questioned. Sakura realized her mistake, and fumbled for a believable excuse as she laughed awkwardly. She sensed the Hokage's gaze on her.

"I'm so sorry," Sakura said with incredible politeness, bowed courteously at the Sannin. When she raised her head, her green eyes were shining with nothing but utmost respect as she said in awe, "I did not mean to call you with such title, Tsunade-sama. It is just that -" she hesitated, acting professionally and giving no clue that she was telling a lie. "You are the most famed medic in the whole nation, not to mention one of the Legendary Sannin. I have always dreamed of having you as my mentor."

Tsuande raised a slender eyebrow, a small amused tilt to her lips. The Sandaime looked at her with something akin to renewed interest, beady eyes flitting between his former student and the pink-haired girl. Sakura bowed once more. "I'd hate to interrupt an important meeting. Hokage-sama, thank you for summoning me."

Sarutobi seemed almost regretful to send her away. "One of my advisers will be with you in the early evening to discuss your living arrangements. I..." he hesitated, unsure of his next words. "I can never say this enough as a leader of this village, but I am very sorry about your loss, and will try my best to capture the Sound nin."

Sakura nodded, and quickly dashed out of the office, closing the door with a quiet 'thud'. Her heart was beating rapidly in her ribcage, and she strode down the hallway, eager to escape the building. She needed to calm down, and organise her thoughts.

As soon as she left the Hokage Tower, Sakura's legs felt like jelly and she had to put a hand out on a nearby tree to steady herself. First question she needed to solve - _Why was Tsunade-shishou here?_ In the past, Tsunade had only come to Konoha _after_ Naruto had gone to persuade her. It was definitely out of question that she had just dropped by for a holidays. In this lifetime, nothing happened without a reason.

That had to mean that she was here in a relation to Sakura herself. Because she was the only one who changed in this world, the only one who _brought _change. She was like a pebble thrown in calm, smooth water. All changes had to stem from her. Frowning, Sakura made up her mind to find out her mentor's objective in being here.

_For now_, she thought. _I've gotta go back to the Academy._

* * *

Tsunade kept staring pointedly at the doors even after it had clicked shut, a thoughtful furrow to her brows. "That girl," she started. "Why was she here?"

The Sandaime sighed, running a wrinkled hand down his face and suddenly looking older and weaker. "Her parents were...discovered, dead just inside the borders of Konoha this morning."

Tsunade's amber eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly. The image of the pink-haired girl respectfully apologising to her whipped through her head, and she felt slight regret for deeming her trivial. "Poor thing," she mused. "Although, I must say she seemed incredibly calm." Her eyes narrowed.

The Hokage sighed again. "That is exactly what I am worried about, Tsunade."

* * *

She was about 10 minutes late to class, and when she slid open the door to her classroom with a ready apology, she was startled to find everyone gazing at her with pity in their eyes. The eerie feeling of seeing everyone act in unison rendered her speechless. Even Iruka-sensei stood staring at her with sympathy in his eyes.

_How did everyone know?_ Sakura wondered, feeling her stomach clench unpleasantly. It wasn't a comfortable feeling, knowing the facts you wanted to pretend never happened were out on display for everyone. The only one present at the scene other than herself, were Katou and Sasuke, but- _Sasuke wouldn't do that._

She cast a quick glance towards the raven-haired prodigy, and saw that unlike everyone else, he was looking elsewhere. A hand supporting his chin, he was facing outside the window, appearing disinterested and bored. Sakura remembered the whitening of his knuckles as Katou delivered the news to her.

"Sakura-" Iruka's tone was careful and wary, as if he expected her to burst into tears anytime soon. He fumbled for words the way one would search for a light switch in the dark, and Sakura decided to end his misery.

"Sorry for being late, Iruka-sensei," she said in an attempt at a light tone. "I just came from an audience with the Hokage-sama. I hope I haven't missed anything important?"

Iruka seemed taken aback at Sakura's behaviour, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yes!" He exclaimed. "That is fine, Sakura. Although, are you sure you don't wish to...?"

He was offering her a chance to run away, and she knew it. Sakura was certain that he would let her go home if she asked, but she found herself shaking her head. "No, that is fine."

"Alright then, please make your way to your seat."

There was a vacant seat next to Naruto, and her breath caught at seeing her best friend again. He seemed so young, so carefree and bright looking down at her in his orange glory. The only thing missing was an exhilarated smile on his lips.

As she made her way towards the back towards the blonde, she discovered that he was seated one away from Sasuke, and that she would be squished in between if she decided to sit there. She bit back a grin, eager to unite with the rest of Team 7 as soon as possible.

She was almost feeling hopeful again when she heard a pair of girls whispering beside her - "-murdered- her parents - sudden-". Pausing in her step, she slowly turned towards them, cocking her head to the side, and stared at them evenly. A frightening glint was swirling her jade eyes, as if provoking them - _I dare you to keep talking_. Sakura could fathom it all, everyone thinking, _poor girl, she lost her family_. She quickly discovered she hated it.

The girls promptly shut their mouth and she gave them one last icy glance, and continued on her way until she reached the pair. Sasuke was still looking outside the window, while Naruto was gazing at her with something akin to awe in his blue eyes. She settled herself comfortably in between the pair, and Naruto looked at her with his mouth agape. "Sa-Sakura-chan?" He exclaimed.

Sakura smiled warmly at him. "Hi, Naruto. It's fine if I sit here, right?"

"Of course!"

"Now then," Iruka banged his thick roll call book against the wooden stand, drawing eyes away from Sakura and halting the quiet chatter. "This is what you have all been waiting for." He swept his eyes across the room, while the students listened with rapt attention. "Your genin teams will be decided."

Sakura felt the blood sizzle up her veins, as she grew excited. _This is where it happens_, she thought almost giddily. Sasuke shifted beside her, and her eyes flitted towards him. Naruto was wildly jumping up and down in his seat.

"There will be 3 students in each team, and you will meet your teacher at the designated teacher at the location that I tell you." Hoots and catcalls went around - there was no doubt everyone was pumped up for this - the genin teams decided your teammates throughout your shinobi career - genin, chuunin and jounin.

Few names were called, and the class exploded into chatters, but Sakura could only hear her heartbeat thumping loudly in her ears. _This is the moment where Team 7 is remade-_

"Team 7," Iruka declared and Sakura's heart skipped a beat. "Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto-"

Naruto hollered beside her. "Yes!" He shouted, and immediately turned to face her. "We're on the same team, Sakura-chan!" He grinned widely.

She smiled. "Yeah!"

"-and Uchiha Sasuke." He finished, with an amused tilt to his lips. Sakura hid a grin as Sasuke stiffened, next to her, before turning with murderous eyes to face the teacher. She had no doubt he was feeling a least upset at the announcement.

"What!" Naruto shouted, equally loud. "Why?!" He stood up, apparently outraged. "Why does that silent, creepy bastard have to be on the same team as me, the great Naruto Uzumaki?!"

Iruka sighed, as if he himself completely related with Naruto. "I'm so sorry, Naruto," he lamented. "But we've got to even out the teams somehow! You're the dead-last, we _had_ to put Sasuke on your team." He turned towards Sasuke regretfully, throwing Naruto a teasing glance. "I apologise, Sasuke."

As Naruto spluttered angrily and Sasuke replied with a stoic "Hn," the class exploded into laughter as they pointed at the blonde yelling atop the table. Sakura was about to tell him to calm down and pull him back to the floor when she heard a snigger behind her.

"The - cough - _orphan team_ - cough," laughed a boy on the row behind her. She turned her head slowly to see a trio of boys smirking and sniggering as they jerked their heads towards them.

"An idiot, a smart-ass and a show-off!" One of them exclaimed. "Boo-hoo, all of them don't have any family!" The trio burst into loud fits of laughter again, and even Naruto seemed to hear, as he abruptly stopped shouting and sat back down.

Sakura tried to push down the fury gushing up as she felt Sasuke tremble with anger almost imperceptibly. Naruto was scarily silent, but the boys seemed not to notice their silence, as they continued to snigger, faking crying noises and laughing.

"_Say that again, I dare you_."

* * *

So last chapter, at the beginning where the glowing black mark was mentioned on a certain individual, I think some people automatically assumed that it was Sakura. Perhaps I did not emphasise it enough, but it isn't ;) That's why I never used her name.

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Let me know your comments!


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